Just 73 Cork city properties to rent in June; None to rent within limits of housing assistance payments

THERE were just 73 properties available to rent in Cork city and suburbs in the month of June, according to Simon Communities of Ireland’s latest quarterly Locked Out of the Market report.

Nationally, the report found 934 properties available to rent at any price within 16 areas in the country over three dates surveyed in June.

The majority, 74%, of properties available to rent at any price in June were located within the three Dublin areas studied.

The total number of properties to rent in the June report represents a 39% increase from the 672 properties available in the March 2023 Locked Out report.

In a Cork case study highlighted in the report , 'Tadgh' is working, staying at Cork Simon’s emergency shelter and "relentlessly searching" for accommodation, to no avail.

“There’s nothing on Daft.ie. Everyone’s pulling out of the market. Everyone’s selling up.

“Very, very rarely you might get a day when there’s two or three houses put up there, but they’re pulled off just as fast as they’re put up,” he said.

“There’s no way you’d find a property within the HAP limits.

“HAP for a one-bed, it’s not really possible. Even being on Homeless HAP, the higher threshold, it’s still impossible to find places,” he added.

Simon Communities’ latest Locked Out report also revealed that just 50 properties were found to be available to rent within standard and discretionary Housing Assistance Payments (HAP) limits – the majority of which were in Dublin (37).

HAP is a social housing support for people who have a long-term housing need.

The scheme is administered by the local authorities, who pay the landlords directly.

Tenants pay a weekly HAP rent contribution to the local authority, based on their income and ability to pay.

NO HAP PROPERTIES

Nine of the 16 areas looked at had no HAP properties available to rent in any household category within standard or discretionary limits in June.

These were Cork city centre, Athlone, Galway city centre, Co Leitrim, Limerick city suburbs, Limerick city centre, Sligo Town, Portlaoise, and Waterford city.

“The Simon Communities produce this snapshot to provide an insight into the private rental market from the perspective of those on low incomes trying to exit or avoid homelessness,” Wayne Stanley, executive director at the Simon Communities of Ireland, said.

“While this snapshot does show some improvement in availability, the findings are a stark reminder of the disheartening difficulty that those experiencing homelessness face as they seek a way out of homelessness through the private rental market.” 

Mr Stanley said while there was an increase of 31 properties found to be available to rent within standard and discretionary HAP limits when compared to the March 2023 Locked Out report, levels are insufficient.

“This Locked Out of the Market report found 50 properties available within HAP rates across the 16 areas, if local authorities give the maximum level of support.

“While this is an increase of 31 properties on the previous quarter, the proportion of HAP properties in relation to the general market remains very low.

“Just 5.4% of all properties available to rent examined in this study, are available within a HAP rate.

“For comparison, in 2021, on average, 27% of all properties examined in the Locked Out of the Market series were available within a HAP rate,” he said.